Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Brocade Robes Soaked in Blood Chapter 162: Debts Must Be Paid

Ding Yitu remained silent, but Dou Lianzhong had already stepped forward and said calmly, "Chief Escort Ding travels across the realm relying solely on connections, and the people he knows are countless. However, in my view, while many people know Chief Escort Ding, he certainly does not remember everyone."

Yang Ning did not argue. Instead, he smiled faintly and asked, "Master Dou, I hear that quite a few painted pleasure boats on the Qinhuai River belong to you. Is that true or false?"

"So what if they are?" Dou Lianzhong retorted.

Yang Ning smiled. "It's nothing." He turned his head and asked Yuan Rong, "Yuan Rong, does the pleasure boat belonging to Pearl also belong to Master Dou?"

Before Yuan Rong could answer, Dou Lianzhong chimed in, "Indeed, that pleasure boat is mine. Back then, the fellow surnamed Xue at the All-Treasures Tower mismanaged the business and owed me a massive sum of silver. That wretch foolishly thought that death could allow him to escape his debts. Debts must be paid—it is only natural and right. Since Pearl was his concubine, she could naturally be used as collateral to settle the debt."

"So Pearl was used by you as collateral," Yang Ning said. "That being the case, is Pearl's deed of indenture currently in your hands?"

Seeming intent on provoking Yang Ning and Yuan Rong, Dou Lianzhong smiled and said, "That's right, the indenture is in my hands. According to the laws of our Great Chu, Pearl belongs to me, much like livestock or a horse. Earlier she was disobedient, so naturally, I will discipline her properly later." He glanced at Yuan Rong, a look of smug triumph in his eyes. "Young Master Yuan, I hear you were on good terms with that fellow Xue back then, and you even promised to look after Pearl. Well, how about it? Do you wish to redeem Pearl and buy back her freedom?"

Yuan Rong’s fair face flushed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Master Dou, one should not push things too far."

"Hahahaha! Yuan Rong, you come from a scholarly family, so your sympathy for the fair sex is entirely understandable," Dou Lianzhong said smugly. "However, I am only concerned whether your household can produce that much silver just to redeem a whore. Even if you could actually produce the silver and buy her freedom, would a whore whose painted lips have been tasted by ten thousand men ever be allowed to cross the threshold of your noble home? I only fear that Grand Secretary Yuan would break your legs when the time comes."

Yuan Rong said angrily, "You...!" He was so infuriated that he was momentarily left speechless.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuchen hesitated for a moment, but finally asked cautiously, "Master Dou, I wonder... I wonder how much silver is required to redeem Miss Pearl?"

Since Yang Ning had extricated them from trouble today, Zhu Yuchen felt deeply grateful. Seeing that Yang Ning and Yuan Rong seemed inclined to redeem Pearl, he wanted to return the favor and make a gesture.

Naturally, he knew in his heart that although selecting the flower queens on the Qinhuai River involved tossing about heavy fortunes, truly speaking, redeeming a courtesan on the Qinhuai River did not actually cost that much silver. Even for a currently reigning popular courtesan, given the Zhu family's financial resources, it was merely a drop in the ocean.

The most valuable courtesans on the Qinhuai River nowadays were the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai aboard the Boat King. Pearl was not among those eight, so no matter how exorbitant the price, it could not possibly demand an astronomical sum.

"What? Does the wealthy Young Master Zhu wish to redeem Pearl?" Dou Lianzhong laughed heartily. "I am also a reasonable man. As long as the redemption silver can actually be produced, I won't fuss over the coming and going of a whore. However, Pearl was used as collateral for a debt; if you want to redeem her, you must repay in full all the debts that the All-Treasures Tower owed me back then." He raised his hand and rubbed his chin with his thumb. "If you mortgage all the properties of the Zhu Family's Cloth Firm, that should probably be enough."

Zhu Yuchen's expression shifted slightly at once. He knew instantly that Dou Lianzhong was driving a hard bargain and making an exorbitant demand, and he realized in his heart that redeeming Pearl was practically impossible.

Xiao Shaozong remained silent, simply shelling peanuts. He seemed to relish eating peanuts and even more so enjoyed the process of shelling them.

Observing coldly from the sidelines, Yang Ning gave a faint smile and said to Xiao Shaozong, "Your Highness the Heir Apparent, I originally didn't intend to rake up old accounts today, but since Master Dou has brought up the past debts first, I have no choice but to settle them right here."

Xiao Shaozong remained poised and relaxed, smiling as he asked, "Whose account is the Brocade Guard Commander going to settle?"

Yang Ning beckoned to Dou Lianzhong and said, "Come here."

His gesture was extremely discourteous. Furious, Dou Lianzhong snapped, "You tell me to come over, so I must come over?"

"I am going to settle accounts with you, so of course you must come over." Yang Ning retrieved an item from his person and said with a chuckle, "I am a man who fears nothing more than lacking silver to spend, so I always carry this trump-card treasure on my person." With a gentle flick, the item unfolded to reveal a sheet of paper. Xiao Shaozong looked at the paper with a hint of skepticism, while Dou Lianzhong took a single look and his expression changed dramatically.

"Your Highness the Heir Apparent, this is the debt note signed and thumbprinted by Master Dou after the official trial held by Prefect Mo of the Capital Magistrate's Office," Yang Ning said with a smile. "Master Dou just said it himself: debts must be paid. Now is a most fitting time to settle this account."

Dou Lianzhong could not help blurting out, "Qi Ning, you used trickery! I..."

"You what?" Yang Ning's expression darkened. "You refuse to acknowledge the debt?" He sneered. "His Highness the Heir Apparent is right here, and the Capital Magistrate's Office represents the imperial laws of the realm. If you refuse to acknowledge your debt, that means you are defying the laws of our Great Chu. When you refuse even the laws of our Great Chu—Your Highness the Heir Apparent, I wonder if this counts as treason?"

Xiao Shaozong smiled. "No matter who it is, everyone must obey the laws of the realm!"

"Well spoken by Your Highness the Heir Apparent." Yang Ning laughed heartily. "Master Dou smashed the heirloom treasure of our Brocade Guard Manor. Originally, out of consideration for Grand Secretary Dou's face, I did not want to go knocking on doors to demand payment. I figured that the Dou family was a prominent household of standing and would certainly never default on a debt or wriggle out of it like street ruffians. Yet I waited and waited, only to find that Master Dou showed no initiative in repaying the debt. Today, since Your Highness the Heir Apparent happens to be here, I propose we settle this account right on the spot."

Dou Lianzhong said angrily, "What heirloom treasure? It was nothing more than a trap you set up. A shoddy glazed horse was passed off by you as an heirloom treasure...!"

Yang Ning sneered, "Master Dou, are you saying you are still trying to wriggle out of it? If you truly persist in this, I will have no choice but to memorialize it to His Majesty, summon the interrogation transcripts from the Capital Magistrate's Office, and examine how the trial was conducted in court. How does that sound?"

Dou Lianzhong's expression shifted slightly.

In truth, what he feared most right now was the prospect of that day's trial transcripts being made public. During the court session that day, Dou Lianzhong had spoken recklessly, uttering treasonous remarks on several occasions. Although those words had been spoken in the heat of the moment under duress, words were words—they could be treated as minor or blown up into something grave. If the matter were truly pursued, the Dou family would definitely not come out ahead.

Knowing full well what was on Dou Lianzhong's mind, Yang Ning gave a light chuckle and asked, "Well, Master Dou, shall we settle the accounts or not?"

Seeing Dou Lianzhong's unnatural expression, Jiang Suiyun smiled from the side and said, "Lord Commander, a top-grade glazed horse is worth at most a few hundred taels of silver. How about this: I shall pay off Master Dou's debt. I wonder if one thousand taels of silver would suffice?"

Yang Ning frowned and said, "Young Master Jiang, I know your Jiang family's wealth rivals a nation's, but what do you mean by paying off the debt on behalf of Master Dou? You are a merchant; although Master Dou holds no official post, he is ultimately the son of the Minister of Revenue. For a merchant to pay off the debts of the Minister of Revenue's son, this..."

Jiang Suiyun's expression altered instantly.

Xiao Shaozong smiled. "Commander, Suiyun and Lianzhong have known each other for many years and have always addressed each other as brothers. Status is irrelevant here. Furthermore, Suiyun has always been public-spirited and eager to help others; perhaps he was simply worried about Lianzhong and misspoke." He turned his gaze to Dou Lianzhong and said, "Lianzhong, this is a debt between you and the Commander. Discuss it and handle it amongst yourselves; no one else should interfere."

Yang Ning smiled. "His Highness the Heir Apparent is indeed wise." He placed the debt note on the table and said, "Master Dou, speak. How do you intend to repay the debt?"

"This...!" Cornered by Yang Ning with no escape from this fatal vulnerability yet utterly helpless, Dou Lianzhong said bitterly, "State your terms, then. Exactly how much silver do you want to settle this once and for all?"

"You must understand that the heirloom treasure of our manor was an imperial bestowal—it is priceless," Yang Ning said leisurely. "How about this: first, give me Pearl's deed of indenture. Oh, and since Miss Pearl has lived in that pleasure boat for two years, it should be presented to Miss Pearl as well."

Dou Lianzhong frowned and asked, "And that will wipe the slate clean?"

"In your dreams," Yang Ning said bluntly. "Consider this your first payment of silver. As for the rest of the account, we will settle it slowly."

Dou Lianzhong sneered, "This is extortion! Do you really expect to casually blackmail and fleece me using just this single debt note?"

"I am wasting no more breath on you," Yang Ning said. "If you disagree, we shall go straight to the Capital Magistrate's Office to retrieve the court records, and then proceed directly to see His Majesty." He sighed. "An imperial heirloom treasure was smashed to pieces by you, yet you stand here haggling and profaning an imperial object. This matter must be thoroughly clarified."

Terrified above all else of Yang Ning mentioning the court records, Dou Lianzhong lost his nerve somewhat and forced himself to say, "You... you cannot take advantage of someone's precarious position!"

"Taking advantage of a precarious position?" Yang Ning laughed in disbelief. "Young Master Dou, have you ever read a book? You have befriended the wealthy Jiang family, and you have the Chief Escort of the Rising Sun Escort Agency guarding you every step of the way. You wear gold and jade, lean on red sleeves and sport green, and you call this precarious?" He stood up, bowed with cupped hands toward Xiao Shaozong, and said, "Your Highness the Heir Apparent, Dou Lianzhong is prevaricating and making trouble out of nothing. It appears he genuinely intends to default on the debt. Since he holds no regard for an imperial bestowal, while my Brocade Guard Manor treats it as a supreme treasure, I have no choice but to take this before His Majesty." He strode forward and commanded in a deep voice, "Duan Canghai, we are heading to the Capital Magistrate's Office right now. Find Prefect Mo, retrieve the trial transcripts, and wait outside the palace gates through the night."

Duan Canghai immediately replied, "This subordinate obeys!"

Seeing Yang Ning's aggressive and menacing momentum, Dou Lianzhong panicked and blurted out, "W-wait! I... I agree to your terms."

"Oh?" Yang Ning turned around, locked his gaze on Dou Lianzhong, and said, "Master Dou, His Highness the Heir Apparent is right here. With His Highness serving as a witness, you must not speak idly and go back on your word. What is it that you say you agree to?"

Dou Lianzhong glanced at Xiao Shaozong, only to find the latter busy shelling peanuts without even looking at him. Having no other choice, he could only say, "I... I will give you Pearl's deed of indenture. From this day forward, Pearl is your person, and that pleasure boat... that pleasure boat also belongs to you."

"Everyone here has heard it," Yang Ning said with a smile. "Master Dou, where is the deed of indenture? Can you hand it over to me right now?"

Dou Lianzhong replied, "There are plenty of servants in our household; I obviously cannot carry all the deeds of indenture on my person. I will have someone go back and retrieve it shortly."

"Good deeds should not be delayed past nightfall." Yang Ning looked up at the sky. "There is still plenty of time before the Hour of the Rat. Send someone back on a fast horse right now; going and returning shouldn't take too long. Before the Hour of the Rat, deliver both the deed of indenture and the pleasure boat into my hands."

Rage burned within Dou Lianzhong's eyes. With a cold snort, he walked over to instruct a servant to fetch the document. The servant acknowledged the order and departed. Dou Lianzhong then returned and said with ill grace, "Just wait here, then."

"Master Dou, do not blame me. The truth is, I can never quite bring myself to trust a person like you," Yang Ning said with a smile. "For now, write out a document stating clearly that you have transferred Miss Pearl and that pleasure boat over to me, and make sure it is written in unambiguous terms..." He paused to think, then said, "Better yet, I shall write it for you. Someone, bring brush and ink!"

No one around them made a move. Yang Ning frowned and asked, "What? No one is going to attend to this?"

Dou Lianzhong roared angrily, "Bring him brush and ink!"

Only then did someone step forward to fetch the writing materials. Yang Ning promptly wrote down the text and had Dou Lianzhong sign and thumbprint it. At this moment, Dou Lianzhong wished he could tear Yang Ning limb from limb. He had brought Zhu Yuchen and the others here tonight intending to properly humiliate them, only to end up luring this living King of Hell into the mix. Regret gnawed bitterly at his heart.

Guarded against Yang Ning with heightened vigilance and knowing full well that this crafty fellow was likely laying yet another trap within the text, Dou Lianzhong read through it several times over. To be entirely safe, he even had Jiang Suiyun read it once before finally signing and thumbprinting the document and handing it over to Yang Ning.

Taking the paper, Yang Ning folded it away and tucked it safely into his robe with a smile. "Very well, I shall disturb you all no longer. I will wait over there for the deed of indenture." He bowed to Xiao Shaozong with cupped hands and said, "Your Highness the Heir Apparent, taking my leave for now!"

Only then did Xiao Shaozong turn his head back, smiling faintly as he said, "The moonlight and breeze on the Qinhuai River are boundless indeed—the Brocade Guard Commander would do well to thoroughly enjoy this night!"